South End

9am & 11am

Welcome from Pastor Mark Upton

Welcome to Hope’s South End (SE) site! When Hope first started in 2002, we were sent out of Uptown Church with a mission to reach one of the most unreached people groups in the city. According to a 2001 survey of Charlotte, 32.5% of young urban professionals claimed “no faith involvement” and 80% of males in their 20’s “hadn’t been to a church in over a year.”

When we first started, ground zero for that demographic was the corner of Woodlawn and Park so our first worship services took place at the YWCA on Park Road. Over time the social scene on Montford continued grow and the South End started developing so we split the difference and shared space with the Korean congregation at Charlotte Presbyterian church on Scaleybark. God blessed our efforts, and many of the young people we reached in the early years of Hope became Christians, got married, grew in their faith, eventually had kids, and moved out to the suburbs. That’s why we started a second site in the Olde Providence section of Charlotte in 2013.

Hope still feels called to care for young urban professionals, particularly those who are spiritually interested non-Christians, new Christians, or church-damaged. Of course, a few things have changed in Charlotte since we started. Most notably, the South End has become the new center for that demographic. So in 2016 we moved again to 3021 Griffith Street so that we can continue to share the Good News of the Gospel with those who are least likely to hear it without us.

It is our hope that God will use both the way we proclaim the good news about what Christ has done for us and the way we live it out in community to make the Gospel both understandable and attractive to those God brings to us who need it. Because we certainly need it every day.

Mark Upton

Visitor FAQ

In the South End area of Charlotte, we have a 9:00am and an 11:00am service at 3021 Griffith Street. Our South End location is accessible from South Blvd or S. Tryon Street. Conveniently located a block away from the Lynx New Bern Station and Triple C Brewery. From South Blvd going towards Uptown, take a left on New Bern, cross the light rail and take your second left onto Griffith Street. You will see parking signs for Hope Community Church and our parking team ready to greet you and help you locate a place to park!

Our worship style is an acoustic blend of traditional and contemporary worship music led by a small worship team. The majority of our music is traditional hymns set to more contemporary music. Almost all of our music is congregational singing. We try to put all of our songs in an easily “singable” key and put the songs lyrics on a screen. Our goal is to make it easy for everyone to participate as much as they want and not have anyone feel “lost” in the service whether it’s their first or fiftieth time worshiping with us.

After an initial Call to Worship, we sing several songs together then dismiss the children to Children’s Church. While the children are leaving, we take 5 minutes to say hello to one another. Our intention is not to make you feel awkward or single any one out but to give you an opportunity to at least make an initial connection with someone. Please feel free to introduce yourself to others; Hope always has lots of visitors, and many of the people sitting around you may well be attending for their 1st or 2nd time as well.

After this time, we typically sing another song together and then hear a sermon. We alternate between preaching through books of the Bible and topical sermons. Our goal is to let people consider the Biblical picture of Jesus and the message of Christianity for themselves, so all of our sermons are an explanation of a biblical passage. The sermons are usually 30-35 minutes long, followed by communion (the first Sunday of each month) and one or two songs responding to the message. The entire service lasts about an hour and 15 minutes.

Children up through 4-years-old can be dropped off in the nursery or their respective classroom up to 10 minutes before the service starts. After about the first 15 minutes of worship, children will be dismissed from the sanctuary to Children’s Church, an age appropriate time of worship and teaching. You can read more about why we do this and what your Children will experience in Children’s Church on our Kids’ Street page.

When you drop your child off, you will check them in and leave your cell number so that our children’s ministry volunteers can text you if your child needs you during the worship service. All of our volunteers go through a screening process and we follow a series of safety protocols to ensure that your child is safe while in our care and you’re able to be at ease during the worship service. You’re also welcome to keep your children with you in the worship service if you prefer.

We also provide a nursing mother’s room that is accessible through the foyer and sanctuary where you can hear the worship and sermon.